20-25 WPHS Students Rounded Up by Police At St. Patty’s Day Party Adjacent WPHS

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WPCNR POLICE GAZETTE. By John F. Bailey. March 17, 2005. UPDATED 5:45 P.M. E.S.T. : White Plains Police confirmed police broke up a “St. Patrick’s Day Party” involving underage WPHS students on Baylor Circle adjacent to the White Plains High School this morning. A police spokesman said he believed there were 20 to 25 students involved, who were transported by school bus to the Youth Bureau at Eastview School, where the students’ parents were being called.


Superintendent of Schools Timothy Connors, interviewed by WPCNR reports the fate of the students involved is under discussion at this time. He did not know how many students were involved. Connors said, “Some of them  were off campus legitimately, some of them may have cut class and we’re in the throes of investigating this.”


Asked if alcohol was on the premises Connors said he did not know at this time. He reports:


“I know the youngsters were off campus. We got a heads-up. We’re working with the (high school) administration now to figure out what was there and what aspects of our Code of Conduct may have been violated. When I know that, John, we’ll share that with you. I’ll get a full report from the school tomorrow and we’ll deal with it in the best interests of the students involved.”


Asked how the gathering was broken up, Connors said, “The high school administration made me aware of the situation and they had a plan to work with the parents and they implemented it, which involved getting the kids back to school and then determining what steps we’re going to take depending on what aspects of the Code of Conduct may have been violated.”


The police spokesman said the police were notified at 10:30 this morning about the party in progress.


Students say alcohol was available. The party, according to WPCNR information, was not a “spontaneous” event. The Police spokesman told WPCNR that Sergeant Howard Tribble was advising the school district on any statutory matters. The spokesman said no child was arrested or charged at this time and that the school was addressing the incident on the basis of Code of Conduct violations.


Students were said by knowledgeable parties to have left study hall and the campus to attend the “party.” WPCNR knows of two students approaching the location who saw police cars and did an abrupt about face and returned to class.


 

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WPCNR PHOTOGRAPH OF THE DAY

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WPCNR ROVING PHOTOGRAPHER. March 17, 2005: This week demolition began at 221 Main Street with the systematic destruction of the Bar Building annex to clear the way for the Cappelli Enterprises HotelCondoplex, (with hotel operator to be named later).



AXING THE ANNEX.March 17, 2005. Photo by the WPCNR Roving Photographer.

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One of Our Del Vecchios Is Missing. The Lion is Missing From Hall of Mayors

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WPCNR CITY HALL CIRCUIT. EXCLUSIVE! By John F. Bailey. March 15, 2005; Breaking NEWS UPDATE 12:20 P.M. E.S.T.:  It was a day like all days in the WPCNR News nerve center. I was working the School Board out of bunko division when the call came in from the highly reliable informed source: 


“Scoop of the Day: Mayor Del Vecchio’s Portrait is missing,”  the informant said.  This was big news.


The outrage was first noticed last Thursday, our observer said. The photographic portrait of Mayor Alfred Del Vecchio, (who served as Mayor from 1976 to 1993) was missing from his accostumed position in the hallowed City Hall Rotunda. His businesslike countenance viewed all ascending to the Common Council Chambers with his confident, upbeat and businesslike demeanor. The wall was not the same without his benevolent but challenging confidence looking down. It was as if a piece of City Hall was missing.



The Case of the Missing Mayor: Mayor Del Vecchio’s Portrait Vanishes. Mystery of the Missing Mayor Solved.  The space formerly occupied by the portrait of former Mayor Del Vecchio stares down blankly at City Hall today. Photo by WPCNR News


 


Sensing a story behind the story, the CNR News Team mobilized.


Would there be  evidence that the expensive city hall security monitors were not being watched to record comings and goings?  Perhaps a Del Vecchio stalker had purloined the portrait. Was this, perish the thought, a Mayor’s Office sensitive to criticism striking back?  


Speculation tore through the nonexistent media press lounge at City Hall, prompting discreet inquiries of the usual sources who spoke on condition of anonymity. The CNR news team swung into action. Fox News was notified but did not have their spin team ready.


Confronting David Maloney, City Hall press spokesperson in the second official city Hall media callback of the year, WPCNR grilled “The Maloney” and got to the bottom of “The Missing Del Vecchio.”


The Department of Public Safety has not been called in.


Mr. Maloney told The CitizeNetReporter that the disappearance of the Del Vecchio Portraint involved no wrong doing or breach of security.


Mr. Maloney said that in cleaning the former Mayor’s photograph last week, the picture clasp used to suspend the portrait had broken. The portrait was sent to the City Clerk’s office for repair. Asked when the portrait would resume its right place in the Hall of Mayors, Mr. Maloney could not give a date, but said it was “being worked on.”


The Lion’s portrait is expected to be returned to its perch shortly. Calls to the City Clerks office on the progress of the repair and when the Del Vecchio image will be back “in the lineup,” have been placed.


The City Clerk’s office press spokesperson said the portrait is in the possession of Anne McPherson of the City Clerk’s office who is personally taking charge of the repair. Asked if Commissioner of Public Works, Joseph Nicoletti had been consulted on the selection, requisition and specifications of the new picture suspending technology selected, or whether the expertise of the Department of Public Works engineers was needed to supervise installation of the new picture suspension mechanism, and the official rehanging of Mayor Del Vecchio, the spokesperson declined comment and referred further questions to Mr. Maloney.

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District Selects Architect to Survey School Buildings; Athletic Field Upgrades

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WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. By John F. Bailey. March 15, 2005, Updated with Picture 10 A.M. E.S.T.: In a succession of pronouncements after the recognition of 85 Student Athletes, and six winter sports teams that qualifed as Scholar Athlete teams (high school athletes with a grade average of 90 or better and a team average of 90 or better), Superintendent of Schools Timothy Connors announced a series of initiatives and delivered a status report on goals of the district. The Board of Education publicly announced the selection of an architectural firm to prepare a Building Conditions Survey for the district, and design of a five year facilities upgrade program, which would include upgrading of athletic facilities.


 





The Board voted to accept the architectural firm of Kaeyer, Garment & Davidson to prepare a Building Conditions Survey (required by New York State) of school district buildings and athletic fields and prepare recommendations for building renovations, and possible conversion of certain athletic fields to artificial turf.


 


Articulating Scope of Bond Issue Next Year.


 


Connors said the facilities survey in conjunction with the field analysis would be undertaken in anticipation of a bond issue to be presented to the district voters next year to improve and bring into compliance any school buildings in such need of repair, enhancement, as well as financing field improvements.



Loucks Field Consultations Held. The District has discussed the renovations of Loucks Field (at the High School), and the possibility of that project being included in the Facilities upgrade. File Photo from WPCNR Sports Archive.


 


Connors announced the district had been in conversation with a local booster group under Dan Woodard seeking to modernize the Glen Loucks football field at the high school with synthetic turf, modern stands and state-of-the-art media and clubhouse facilities at a cost of $7 Million (the estimated cost given three years ago. To date only a fraction of that cost has been raised by private donations.).


 


Kaeyer, Garment & Davidson is the architectural firm which designed the recent $28 Million renovation of the high school. Connors said KG & D were familiar with the district facilities. The firm in a presentation approximately two months ago cited their close ties with the State Education Department and knowledge of state facility standards as qualifications that would make them a better choice for the school district. Though the amount of the contract was not announced publicly, the Kaeyer, Garment & Davidson contract for the survey and 5 year facilities plan is $59,000, according to School Board of Education Member, Bill Pollak. 


 


At the time the firm was interviewed Superintendent Connors said any survey fee would be deducted from any future architectural commissions assigned the firm when the school district embarked on any facilities improvement campaign. Last night Connors said that the Finance Committee would go over the parameters of the survey before the actual contract was signed. He said the architectural firm was not guaranteed future design of any projects they recommend which would be bid.


 

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Another School District Certiorari Shocker: $1.378 Million to Gateway One.

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WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. March 14, 2005: At last night’s meeting of the Board of Education, the Board  on recommendation of its certiorari  counsel,  voted to accept a $1.378 Million certiorari settlement to Gateway One, One North Lexington Avenue  last night, bringing the total amount of certriorari refunds to prominent city commercial properties this year to $5.8 Million all to be paid out of a reserve for certioraris.  


 


Superintendent of School Timothy Connors noted that City Assessor Eyde McCarthy would be addressing the relationship between development, certioraris and residential property assessments in addition to the trend in future PILOT payments the City School District can expect at the public hearing on the Preliminary School Budget March 21.


 


Actual amount of the certiorari was not publicly stated in the televised meeting. The Business Office stated the refund to Gateway One’s owners was $1,377,626.26.   This is permanently lost revenue to the City School District.

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Bradley’s Crusade on Medicaid Adopted by Assembly.

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WPCNR ALBANY CORRIDORS. From Office of Assemblyman Adam T. Bradley. March 15, 2005: Assemblyman Adam Bradley’s office has issued the following statement on Medicaid:


When I arrived in Albany, one of my first actions was to introduce legislation to cap counties’ contributions to Medicaid (A.4240-2003). I am pleased to see the Assembly’s budget resolution has taken up this cause to relieve the Medicaid burden on local taxpayers. This plan calls for a complete cap on county Medicaid costs (Resolution C322). Starting January 1, 2006, the state will permanently takeover any additional Medicaid costs.


 


This, combined with the state takeover of the Family Health Plus program enacted last year, will save Westchester County property taxpayers more than $18 million. That’s $7.8 million more than the governor’s plan would provide in 2006, and $15.2 million more in 2007. Overall, the plan, which I have advocated, will provide more immediate and more significant property tax relief than the governor’s plan. I hope the governor will join the legislature and the county executives and work with us to implement a meaningful Medicaid cap.


 


 

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Adam In Albany: Authors Credit Protection.

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WPCNR’S ADAM IN ALBANY. By Assemblyman Adam T. Bradley. March 15, 2005: Buying a home is a daunting task, everyone should try to get the best mortgage rate they can to help keep their monthly bills in check. But not everyone knows that shopping for the best mortgage can hurt your credit, making it more difficult to purchase your dream home.


 


To take the mystery out of mortgage shopping and to help protect homebuyers’ credit, this week I introduced two bipartisan bills in the Assembly. My first bill would prevent consumer reporting agencies from penalizing a person for requesting a rate quote when determining a credit score (A.6303). My second bill would require lenders to inform customers of the potentially negative effect mortgage rate shopping can have on their credit (A.6306).


 


Currently, when a consumer is shopping for the most competitive mortgage rate, their credit score could drop when they engage in comparison-shopping. Furthermore, the consumer is rarely notified that a credit check will lower their score because lenders are not required to provide the information.


 


When consumers do become aware of the situation, they are deterred from further comparison-shopping due to the threat of a lower credit score or a negative inference on their credit report, which could lead to higher interest rates or increased financing fees. It is simply unfair to the consumer, who could save thousands of dollars with the right mortgage rate.


 


Homebuyers should be able to shop for the lowest mortgage rates and fees available without fear of a lower credit score. My legislation corrects this inequity by preventing a negative inference on a person’s credit report for competitive mortgage shopping and ensures that a person will not have their credit score adversely affected when they seek to find the best mortgage rate.  In addition, it will make consumers more educated when dealing with their credit and lenders. I will work with my colleagues in the Assembly and Senate to provide homebuyers with the tools they need to make their dream of owning a home a reality.

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The Finest Promote 9, Hire Legal Specialist from NYPD.

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WPCNR POLICE GAZETTE. March 14, 2005: The White Plains Department of Public Safety promoted nine officers and welcomed a Counselor & Intelligence Specialist to the Department in a ceremony at the Public Safety Building.


 



A Good News Police Story: Promotions for Service well done were announced for 9 officers and a new legal officer for the Department of Public Safety was officially brought on board. Photo by WPCNR News.


 



Officer Traffic: The Irreplaceable Living Trademark of The White Plains Police Department, Bill Biolsi. Photo by WPCNR News.


 


They also said good bye to “Officer Traffic” in White Plains, the man who has choreographed traffic at Main and Bank for twenty years,  the man whom Commissioner Frank Straub characterized today as the model for what a White Plains Police Officer should aspire to be: Bill Biolsi.  Detective Biolsi was promoted to Detective today as he retired.


 





Michael Knox was promoted to Lieutenant, and praised by Commissioner Straub for creating a training program for new police officers for which Lieutenant Knox devised the Neighborhood Conditions Unit that is now being extended to officers other than trainees. Photo by WPCNR News.



James Parlow, Cynthia Hood, and Howard Tribble come forth to be sworn in. Photo by WPCNR News.



 


Promoted to Sergeant were Cynthia Hood, for her work in the Domestic Violence Unit,  James Parlow, and Howard Tribble. Sergeant Tribble’s promotion will move him out of the School Liaison Officer position serving the High School and Middle School, but Sergeant Tribble assured WPCNR that a worthy successor will be chosen.


 



 


Ed Rutledge was promoted to Detective Second Grade for his work in taking and handling some of the biggest cases in the Detective Division. Commissioner Straub administers the oath, as Mayor Joseph Delfino and Police Chief James Bradley  observe. Photo by WPCNR News.


 



 


August Fazzino, Micharel Munroe, James Spencer and “Officer Traffic,” Bill Biolsi were promoted to Detective. Photo by WPCNR News.


 



 


The final swearing in was a welcome and official hiring of Martin Gleeson, as the Department of Public Safety Counsel and Advisor on Public Safety Issues. Photo by WPCNR News.


 


Mr. Gleeson retired last week after twenty years with the New York Police Department. He replaces Eve Monroe who left the position about one year ago.


 


Commissioner Straub told WPCNR that Mr. Gleeson recently served as a Sergeant in the Legal Bureau of the NYPD. He was in the Legal Bureau for 17 years according to Commissioner Straub handling “profile matters,” and most recently was in charge of advising the NYPD on their approaches to security matters related to the Republican Convention, including treatment of demonstrators, arrests, and security issues.


 


Straub said Mr. Gleeson’s first assignment will be to review Department of Public Safety training from a legal standpoint as to how officers are taught to conduct themselves with the public. Straub said he would also advise the department on safe housing issues, and evaluate options available to the department in their handling of restaurant, bistro, and bar issues.


 



 


Mayor Joseph Delfino at the beginning of the ceremony said what he had to say about the Department of Public Safety could not be said about any other police department in the country. He said the people of White Plains go to sleep at night that there are men and women, “someone out there watching and caring,” and that by the job they do they make White Plains a better place to live. Photo by WPCNR News.

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School District Announces Public Hearing on the Budget. Elections

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WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. From Michele Schoenfeld, Clerk to the Board of Education. March 14, 2005: A Public Hearing on the 2005-06 Preliminary Proposed Budget of the White Plains City School District will be held in the Assembly Room of Education House, 5 Homeside Lane, on Monday, March 21st, 2005, at 7:30 P.M.

        The public vote on the budget and the election of Board Members will take place on Tuesday, May 17, 2005, and the polls will be open from Noon to 9 P.M. P.M., at six locations. 


        Two Board seats will be up for election, each for a three-year term of office, beginning July 1, 2005.  Petitions are available from the District Clerk at 5 Homeside Lane.  They must be signed by100 qualified voters and returned by April 27th. For further information, please call 422-2071.

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Greer’s ALS, Cappelli Housing Challenge, Certriorari Study Key Stories

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WPCNR WHITE PLAINS WEEK NEWS ROUNDUP. March 13, 2005: Last week was highlighted by a quartet of blockbuster stories that will have ongoing ramifications over the next two months as the City grapples with the 2005-2006 budget and watches the mail daily for sales tax receipts. In the news last week –


 





The Common Council Meeting March 7 brought the sad announcement from Councilman Robert Greer that he was suffering from Lou Gehrig’s disease. Greer said he would serve on the Council as long as he was able.


 


Also making news in that meeting was Louis Cappelli who said he would build his 42 units of affordable housing anywhere in the city the council selected except in his 221 Main Street hotel-condoplex, citing the financial reality that the units cost him $450 a square foot to build and could only be sold for $250 a square foot. Cappelli’s offer took the pressure off the Ginsburg Development Corporation Pinnacle project and put it on the Common Council which has expressed distaste for the affordable units being built at 240 Main Street adjacent the planned The Pinnacle Tower.


 


The City also approved a new scoreboard from Pepsi Cola for Ebersole Rink in exchange for Pepsi products being sold exclusively in the snack, opening up the possibilities of more corporate revenue donations.


 


WPCNR learned over the weekend from informed sources that the City Planning Department has told developers of condominiums on Hale Avenue and DeKalb Avenues alongside Maple Avenue that those developments are not subject to the Common Council’s 6% affordable housing setaside provision. The reason is they are on the other side of the Central Business District border where the provision applies. Meanwhile negotiations on how those projects are going to look are ongoing with the neighborhood. (Hearings were postponed into April).


 


In the Schools…


 


The Board of Education Announced it had trimmed the preliminary school budget $1.3 Million and presented the budget at this time as coming in at $154.8. No new programs have been adopted. The School Tax Increase is at 9.91%, adding $576 to the typical home which is assessed at $15,500. 


 


At the Annual Budget Committee meeting, the ABC Committee was outspoken in challenging the Board of Education to involve them earlier in the school budget construction, instead of always having to tell the Board what to cut. The ABC Committee also called for an explanation of how development was going to help the school district in the long term. Councilwoman Rita Malmud agreed with the Superintendent of Schools, Tim Connors, that a study was needed by an independent source to discover the relationship between sales tax, certrioraris and residence property taxes.


 


The White Plains Women’s Basketball team staged a proud run for the Class AA State Basketball Championship losing in the last second. The women of WPHS hoopsters completed the best season of any WPHS Women’s basketball team in the school’s history.


 


The White Plains High School and Middle School orchestras and the WPHS band presented a splendid winter concert impressing the parentes with their virtuosity.


 


In Health…


 


On the White Plains Week television program on White Plains Public Access Television Friday evening, ((it can be viewed again Monday at 7 on Channel 76) Jon Schandler, the President and CEO of White Plains Hospital Center announced the hospital was going to double the size of its emergency room by expanding up one floor, in response to its volume created by the closings of St. Agnes Hospital and United Hospital in Port Chester.


 


Schandler said the hospital was filled most days, and it would be embarking on an expansion plan to increase its capacity to meet current needs and was studying the population growth in downtown White Plains to determine how much to expand.


 


That plan he said would involve transformation of the existing structures and shifting of departments elsewhere and would not involve taking land surrounding the hospital. He said the hospital had raised $25 Million towards that planned expansion. He cited state cuts in medicare payments as the biggest health threat to health consumers.  He also announced his hospital was solvent and profitable.


 


In Police and Fire News…


 


The White Plains Department of Public Safety activated its own website at www.cityofwhiteplains.com. Access it by clicking on “City Services” and then clicking on “Public Safety”


 


In Government News…


 


WPCNR has learned from Norma Drummond, Deputy Commissioner of Planning for Westchester County that 55 U.S. Senators oppose shifting administration of Community Development Block Grants to the U.S. Department of Congress from HUD. Drummond told WPCNR that it looked as if that shift was not going to happen. How the program will be funded is another question. White Plains organizations receiving community development grants were told two weeks ago there was a strong possibility they would lose all block grant funding.

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